


I Woke Up And He Was Screaming. I'd Left Him Dreaming.

by I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own



Series: Forever [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Barduilweek, theme 3: Dreams/Nightmares, this one got away from me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 03:29:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4247643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/pseuds/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You-I-you“ Bard whispers, voice breaking. “You had a nightmare, and-“ Bard swallows thickly, and looks away. “Your face, Thran.” Bard breathes, closing his eyes. “It was melting!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Woke Up And He Was Screaming. I'd Left Him Dreaming.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Barduil Week Theme 3: Dreams/Nightmares
> 
> Song lyrics and title from from Night Terror by Laura Marling. They KIND of fit with the story but not really. I'm probably going to write a more fitting fic for this song later. I just heard it though as I was writing and I couldn't stop singing it, so.
> 
> I still can't get over my love of the idea of Thran having a twin sister. So Taeglin is making another appearance.

_I woke up and he was screaming._   
_I'd left him dreaming._   
_I roll over and shake him tightly, and whisper  
_ _"If they want you, then they're gonna have to fight me,"  
_ _(Oh, fight me)_

\--

It is Thranduil, they discover, who has night-terrors. They leave him breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, but often they do not wake him. It is Bard they wake.

The first time it happens, Bard is still getting used to Thranduil’s sleeping habits, one thing in particular stands out above the rest. The fact Thranduil sleeps with his eyes open.

The sight of Thranduil lying with his eyes open, glazed over, and unblinking still sets his skin crawling, but it is nothing compared to the way Bard’s heart beats when he wakes in the middle of the night, to the sound of Thranduil tossing and turning, and whimpering pathetically in his sleep, his hands clenching and unclenching in the blankets.

“Thran?” Bard calls, quietly at first, before he grows more urgent. “Thranduil!” Thranduil doesn’t seem to hear him at all, and Bard reaches out, lays his hand on Thranduil’s shoulder, only for his lover to jerk back as if burned. Bard pulls away, keeps his hands to himself. “Thranduil. Wake up, please. Whatever you’re dreaming, wherever you are, it’s not real.”

Thranduil still does not hear him. Whimpering and mumbling something unintelligible as Bard calls his name. Bard nearly falls off the bed when the left side of Thranduil’s face appears to start _flickering._ Like, one moment the skin is there and perfect and immaculate, and the next moment, it is burned away, only to be untarnished in the very next second.

“T-Thran?” Bard calls, his heart beating so loudly in his chest. “Thran. Please, wake up. You’re scaring me.” Bard watches horrified as the flickering ends, the skin melting away, leaving visible tendons in its place, and clearly blinding the left eye. “Thranduil.” Bard whispers, horrified, “Thranduil, please! Just wake up! Wake up!” Bard doesn’t know how long he sits there, hugging his arms over his chest as he rocks back and forward, calling Thranduil’s name. All he knows is he is crying when a hand touches his own, and he blinks to find Thranduil sitting up, staring into his eyes with confusion and worry.  His face once more unmarred.

“Bard?” Thranduil asks, voice barely above a whisper. Bard chokes on a sob, and shakes his head, throwing himself into Thranduil’s arms, burying his face against Thranduil’s chest and clinging on tightly.

“Oh Gods. Oh Gods!” Bard mumbles into Thranduil’s chest, his tears soaking Thranduil’s night shirt.

“Bard, what happened?” Thranduil asks, rocking them side to side, as he rubs soothing circles into Bard’s back. Bard shakes his head, trying to reign himself back in, before he takes a deep breath and pulls away.

“You-I-you“ Bard whispers, voice breaking. “You had a nightmare, and-“ Bard swallows thickly, and looks away. “Your face, Thran.” Bard breathes, closing his eyes. “It was _melting!”_

“Melti- oh. Oh Valar. I’m sorry, Bard. I was going to tell you.” Thranduil starts, frantic and terrified. “I just- I didn’t know how to. I’m sorry.”

“What?” Bard asks, confused, he’d thought he was going mad, or maybe dreaming. “What?”

“I have a scar. It’s ugly and- it’s from the great battle with the dragons. I keep it hidden away. I was going to tell you about it. But I didn’t want you to-to look at me with pity or disgust. I’m sorry.” Thranduil explains quickly, like if he doesn’t get the words all out in one go, he’ll never get them out.

“So I-I’m not going mad? And I really, _really_ did watch half your face jus-just melt away?” Bard clarifies, eyes wide.

“Yes.”

“Oh Gods.” Bard says, resting his head against Thranduil’s chest again. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I feel like I’ve lost a few years of my life. Oh Gods.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve got scars, too, Thran, you’ve seen them. Your scars are a part of you. And just because I know you have them now, doesn’t mean I’m going to treat you any different.”

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve shown my scar to anyone I care about.”

“It’s alright. I’m the same. I just- I would have liked to have known about it before it scared me half to death in the middle of the night, because you were having a nightmare.” Bard frowns at that, and looks up at Thranduil. “What were you dreaming about?”

“I don’t remember too much. I remember Doriath was burning and I was trying to find my sister.” Thranduil answers easily, if he could talk of his scar, he can talk of anything.

“Your sister?” Bard questions, intrigued. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Have I not mentioned her?” Thranduil asks, amazed. “Strange. Taeglin she is called. I am her elder by a mere minutes.” Thranduil smiles, and Bard can hear the fondness in his voice.

“Will I ever meet her?”

“Perhaps. She dwells in Lothlorien now, and has for many years.” Thranduil answers, his voice growing sad. “Come, lover, let us sleep.” He says, ending the conversation, and slowly lying back down on the bed, pulling Bard with him.

“Sweet dreams.” Bard says, reaching up to kiss Thranduil.

“Sweet dreams, indeed.” Thranduil murmurs, pulling Bard back for another kiss when the human begins to pull away. “I’m sorry about before.”

“I know, you said. Go to sleep, Thran, we can talk more in the morning.”

“As you wish.”

"..."

“Hey, Thran?” Bard asks, after they’ve lain in silence for a little while, neither able to sleep.

“Yes?” Thranduil replies hesitantly, not liking Bard’s tone.

“You got your scars fighting dragons, right?”

"Yes?"

“Does that mean we’re the Dragonslayer fam?”

“… go to sleep, Bard, please.”

“I’m taking that as a yes.”

“Merciful Este!”

“I thought Nienna was the Lady of Mercy?”

“In the name of Lorien, Bard, please go to sleep.”

“Fine. Love you.”

“I love you, too, you infuriating human.”

“Thanks.”

 _“Court a human, they said.”_ Thranduil mumbles under his breath, causing Bard to giggle. “Go to sleep.” Thranduil grumbles. 

“I will, if you stop talking to me.”

“You asked me!”

“You kept replying!”

“Merciful Nienna!”

“Yes!”

**_“Go to sleep!”_ **

“I’m going. I’m going. Mr. Grumpypants.”

“…”

“Goodnight, Thran.”

“Goodnight, Annoying Human.”

“Sleep well.”

“Yes, sweet dreams.”

“OH MY GODS! GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!”

“Sorry, Sigrid!!”


End file.
